Annapolis To Get New Mayor

Tallies by the Board of Canvassers show that Republican challenger Mike Pantelides has won the Annapolis mayoral race by 59 votes.

Friday's unofficial vote count, which included absentee and provisional ballots, showed Pantelides with 3,934 and Mayor Josh Cohen with 3,875.

Cohen congratulated Pantelides in person shortly after the count was finished and said he respects the will of the voters.

Pantelides had led by 84 votes on Election Day on Tuesday, but that lead was cut to 82 votes after a report of a misreported vote and a count of votes from a broken voting machine.

Pantelides said in a statement Friday that Cohen has offered to help with the transition. Pantelides will be sworn in next month.

The Maryland Republican Party noted the victory in an email sent to reporters.

Diana Waterman, Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party stated in the email, ôToday is a great day for the citizens of Annapolis and the State of Maryland.ö She continued ôMike ran a great campaign that focused on the issues of bringing fiscal sanity back to Annapolis.ö

ôVoters in Annapolis have rejected the party of big government in favor of a government that will be fiscally responsible and protect taxpayers from bloated government. Democrat leadership in Annapolis should take notice on what happened in the State Capital, Marylanders are fed up with the policies of tax and spend and will reject these ideas again in 2014.ö